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Pitti Uomo to kick off big this season

Season after season, Pitti Uomo has proven itself to be a benchmark for fashion, a must-attend event for the industry come the start of the fashion season. For the 93rd edition, the menswear tradeshow, which kicks off Tuesday, January 9 and runs until Friday, January 12 in Florence, Italy, has announced 'film' as this year's theme with a program that promises to burnish its stellar reputation.

Pitti has announced another rich roster of newcomers and big events, and will transform the show's venue Fortezza da Bassa "into a prestigious global platform, chosen by brands for the international unveiling of new trends and unpublished projects," said the organisers.

The menswear tradeshow takes place in Florence from Tuesday, January 9 - Pitti ImmagineShowcasing the latest in men's autumn/winter 2018-19 collections, the upcoming session will bring together a total of 1,230 brands, compared to 1,220 last winter edition. Among these, 541 will be international (some 44% of the total) and 227 will make either their Pitti Uomo debut or be returning after a hiatus. That is the case for Corneliani, which quit Pitti seven years ago, opting instead to show in Milan. Also joining this season is Gazzarini, who for a long time has showed in Milan and returns with a special presentation-cum-party on the opening day.

Also returning to Pitti is Paul & Shark, Fratelli Rossetti and Pepe Jeans London, which will celebrate its 45th anniversary during the week. As will Dutch jeans brand Denham, set to commemorate its tenth birthday at the Florence show.

American menswear label Brooks Brothers has chosen Pitti to celebrate a big milestone, its bicentenary, planned for Wednesday, January 10 in the grand Salone dei Cinquecento de Palazzo Vecchio (the historic palace of the Florence city hall). The program includes a first-ever runway show by Brooks Brothers as well as an exhibition about the brand.

Karl Lagerfeld is another headliner to watch, and will show an preview presentation of his new menswear project. Also of high interest are the show's guests of honour for this edition: Jun Takahashi from the brand Undercover and designer Takahiro Miyashita, who heads up Takahiromiyashita The Soloist. Other highlights include Italian brand Malibu 1992, which has been renamed M1992, and the first-ever runway show from Luca Magliano, the winner of design competition Who’s On Next Uomo 2017, with his namesake label Magliano.

Korean designers Beyond Closet and Bmuet(te) are also set to star, alongside new Japanese talent Body Song, Children of the Discordance, Digawel, F/CE, Kuon and Soe.

Corneliani will be returning to Pitti Uomo after a seven year hiatus. - Pitti ImmagineOther headline events include the announcement of the Woolmark prize's men's and women's winners on the first day of the show, and the opening of a new space featuring designs from Finland, the guest nation for this edition. There will also be a number of parallel events taking place in the city with the opening of new stores by Moncler and Ermanno Scervino, and the Gucci Garden, which will double as both store and restaurant for the luxury brand.

Lastly, a tour will be held in the new Athlovers project, presented in the Polveriera pavilion, where five avant-garde brands -- 42.54 (Belgium), Aeance (Germany), Dyne (USA), Gr1ps (Italy) and Isaora (United States) -- have been invited to interpret the athleisure trend with the help of leading Italian wool fabric producer Reda, a heritage company based in Biella, a town in the heart of Italy's famous wool-textile producing region.